


And the Stars Keep Shining

by End



Series: Azul Waters [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Character Study, Famous! Lance, Gen, Hopeful Ending, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Introspection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-28
Updated: 2016-12-28
Packaged: 2018-09-12 23:53:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9096109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/End/pseuds/End
Summary: A life in the limelight and it's abrupt stop, finding freedom in the stars.The mask he's worn for most of his life shatters.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I didn't get any requests but I have a whole bunch of lance-centric AU's I know i'm never gonna finish so im just making one-shots of them and putting them here so
> 
> also i didn't know what kind of celebrity to make him so

“ _ -Ah, hold on a moment…” _

 

The faint sound of rustling filters through the speaker of Hunk’s cell phone as Lance sets down his own. He waves when he’s finished, smiling.

 

“ _ There we go! Back in business!” _

 

Hunk laughs a bit, leaning back in his chair and waving back.

 

“ _ So as I was saying, _ ” Lance grins, making a wide gesture with his hands as he throws himself back dramatically, placing crossed ankles onto the table in front of him.  “ _ My sister, Ange, tackled this guy to the floor, pinning his arms down and glaring at him, and then she says ‘now then, dickwipe, you are going to apologize to this nice woman here, or else.’ And then she stands up. The guy’s thoroughly terrified at this point, scrambles away from her and apologizes franticly to the woman, and then takes off, looking back over his shoulder like an angry child. It was hilarious!” _

 

He laughs softly, looking to the side worriedly a few times. Hunk nods and laughs loudly. 

 

“I can’t even imagine!”

 

“ _ Yeah. Mama was so angry with her later, she was like, ‘Do you know who that was?! Couldn’t you deal with this in a way that didn’t involve violence? Now your brother- _ ” Lance stops, looking to the side again, only for a moment. “ _... Yeah,  Mama was pretty pissed. I was so proud of her though! The guy totally deserved it.” _

 

-

 

“Come on, Matt! If we keep going at this pace, we’ll never get there in time!” 10 year-old Katie Holt whines, tugging at her older brother’s sleeve. 

 

“Relax, Katie. I’m sure he’ll still be there when we get there.” Matt laughs. 

 

“No! I wanna see him  _ now _ !” Katie says, holding a magazine out and shoving it up to his face. 

 

The boy on the cover, only twelve years old, wears a designer dress- yes, a dress- his lace covered back facing the camera. Dark blue eyes look back, over his shoulder, and the barest signs of a smile grace the boy’s face. The words on the magazine say ‘ _ Meet and Greet with the World’s Favorite: Lance Of Cuba! 9/2 _ . Matt looks down at the picture, a faint blush on his cheeks. 

 

“Matt!”

 

“Okay, Okay!” Matt shakes his head and crouches down. “Come on, Let’s go!”

 

Katie’s face breaks out into a grin, and she slides the magazine back into her backpack. She nods rapidly, throwing her arms around Matt’s neck and wrapping her legs around his waist. He stands, hitching her upwards. 

 

“Ready?” Matt asks, tightening his grip around her ankles. 

 

“Yeah! Let’s go!”

 

-

 

Keith looks down at the magazine curiously. “This is…Lance...?”

 

The photo smiles up at him in a way that contrasts strongly with the hot-headed boy he met at the Garrison. The man in the picture is dressed in a fitted black suit that hugs his broad shoulders, the white of his shirt opening ever so slightly to reveal sharp collar bones. A navy blue tie, loosened slightly, rests just below it.  

 

“Hm…” Keith flips the magazine over, looking at the price. “Shiro talked about this guy alot. I doubt It’s the same guy.”

 

Then, without thinking, he tosses it into his basket and moves on.

 

-

 

Shiro sits down on his bed, looking down at the photo in his hands.

 

It’s of a boy, standing in a garden of white roses and surrounded by stars. He is basked in moonlight, his pale blue scarf billowing in the wind behind him, and he holds a single pink rose in cupped palms. His eyes are wide, sparkling with stars, and his smile is tentative.  It’s a picture he got a long time ago, from the boy himself.

 

~

 

_ Shiro first sees him in person when he’s 17 years old, in a crowded coffee shop.  _

 

_ Lance is sitting alone by the wall, cradling a warm drink in his hands and staring intently at something on the table. Shiro stares at him, awestruck, and he looks up, directly into his eyes. Shiro blinks, shocked, and then turns away shamefully. _

 

_ “Sit,” says Lance, motioning to the seat across from him. Shiro blinks again. Lance says it again, more forcefully this time. “Sit.” _

 

_ Shiro pulls out the chair and sits down, feeling vulnerable. “I-” _

 

_ “Take this,” Says Lance, cutting him off to press the picture into his palms. “And don’t let my mother find it. Take care of it for me.” _

 

_ “What? Why?” Shiro asks, confused. “Why are you giving this to me?” _

 

_ Lance looks away, picking at the edges of the baggy sweatshirt he’s wearing.  _

 

_ “I don’t know. It’s just…” He sighs. “Your eyes. You look at me like my older sister did when she took that picture.” _

 

_ “Your sister...?” Shiro looks at Lance again, more carefully this time. He looks back at him with hard eyes, determined.  _

 

_ “Yes,” Lance nods, curling his hands into fists. He stands. “Now, If you’ll excuse me, I should get going. I’ll come back for that picture when I’ve reached freedom. Goodbye.” _

 

_ “Wait-” Shiro starts, but he’s gone. _

 

_ ~ _

 

“Reached freedom, huh?” Shiro runs a thumb down the edge of the picture. “I wonder if he ever did? It’s been 4 years. He should be 18 by now, right?”

 

There’s a knocking noise at his door, and he quickly slides the picture back into it’s hiding place, a slot in a picture frame behind the picture of him and Keith at an observatory. 

 

“Coming!” He shouts as the knocking becomes more insistent. He opens the door. “What is it?”

 

“Shiro!” Matt shouts, jumping forward and wrapping his arms around his neck. His eyes sparkle with excitement. “We got accepted! We’re going to Kerberos!”

 

-

 

Lance loves flying, watching the stars. He doesn’t regret joining the Garrison, and he certainly doesn’t regret becoming a pilot. 

 

But he sees his face in the magazines people bring in from the nearby towns during free hours, sees his own empty smiles, and he hates it. He hates seeing people gush over the pictures of him, fawning over a persona that is stemmed from lies.They cannot see the that the person in the magazine wore a mask of happiness, and instead see him as some unattainable object for the world to watch.

 

Lance sighs, staring up at Hunk from his place on his lap. Hunk smiles down at him and continues reading his textbook.

 

“Hunk,” Lance says suddenly, and Hunk puts the book down, looking down at him again. “Can you keep a secret?”

 

-

 

The day before Shiro is set to leave, He gives Keith the picture of the two of them. The frame is still intact, carrying the hidden picture as well. 

 

“Keith, hold on to this for me, will you?” He says, smiling. “I wanted to take it with me, but…”

 

Keith nods, still an eager-to-please teenager. “It’s okay! I’ll take care of it, I promise!” 

 

“Thanks, Keith.” Shiro smiles, placing a hand on his head. “I’ll miss you.”

 

“I will too. Goodbye, Shiro.”

 

-

 

“Ugh! Must these people be so difficult? We only wish to help them!” Allura groans, running her fingers through her hair. 

 

Shiro puts a comforting hand on her shoulder. “It’s alright, princess. I’m sure we can figure out something.”

 

Allura huffs. “I hope so.”

 

“I’ll take care of it, if you’d like, princess,” Says Lance, his face surprisingly serious. “I’m good in these situations.”

 

Allura looks up at him, surprised. “Ah… I suppose it’s alright. Just try not to get on their bad side, Okay?”

 

Lance nods and walks away.  Shiro goes to watch, leaning against a wall nearby Allura’s seat as she speaks with Coran.

 

Shiro narrows his eyes, leaning forward slightly. Then, his eyes widen in shock. “He’s- Oh my god…”

 

“Shiro? What’s wrong?” Allura asks, worried. “Has something happened?”

 

“Ah! Not at all, Princess. I just realized something is all.” Shiro says, waving away her worries. 

 

Lance returns then, smiling. “Princess, The nobles have agreed to sign the treaty!”

 

Allura blinks in surprise and quickly composes herself. “Is that so? That’s wonderful news. Coran, If you’ll excuse me.”

 

“Of course, Princess,” Coran says with a smile. When she turns, he winks at Lance. Lance grins back.

 

“I can’t believe it…”

 

-

 

Lance is smiling, trying to lighten the impossibly heavy mood in the room. His laugh is strained, and his voice wavers, his knuckles are white and his hands shake, but he’s trying.

 

“Come on, guys!” He says, his voice a pitch too high to be normal. “I’m sure everything will work out! We’ll find a way, we always do!”

 

“Not this time, Lance,” Keith says, looking away.

 

“That’s-”

 

“Lance.” Hunk says sharply, and the room goes silent. All eyes turn to him in shock, but he lowers his voice and looks at Lance with softened eyes. “This isn’t Earth. We won’t leave you.”

 

Lance’s expression drops, and he brings his hands to his face. Hunk steps forward, gently easing him into his arms. 

 

“I’m sorry…”

 

-

 

Pidge drops her wrench and turns to look at Matt. “Oh my god.”

 

“Katie?” Matt asks, worriedly. “What’s wrong?”

 

“Oh my god! Matt, get off your ass, we’re going to find Lance.” Pidge says, grabbing his sleeve. “I can’t believe this.”

 

“Katie, what’s going on?” Pidge ignores him. 

 

The walk down the hall is nearly silent, Pidge mumbling curses. “I can’t believe I had a crush on this loser.”

 

Pidge slams open Lance’s door,  and Lance jumps. 

 

“Pidge! What are you-?”

 

“Lance, what the  _ fuck _ .” 

 

“Katie!”

 

“Um, What are you-”

 

“Lance, why did I see your face plastered all over my brother’s bedroom walls for 6 years?”

 

“Oh shit. You’re right!” Matt says, suddenly understanding. “But wait, You had more posters than I did-”

 

“Shut up, Matt, don’t feed his ego.”

 

-

 

Keith finds the picture in an otherwise empty bookbag under his bed. The frame is still mostly intact, by some miracle, with a dented corner but nothing more. He holds it in his hands for a moment, staring down at his own smile. His fingers brush the back of the frame, and stop abruptly at the feeling of paper sticking out at the corner. He  flips the frame over, confused, and sees the edge of a different picture slipping out of a slot hidden in the frame. 

 

Keith stands, clutching the frame in his hands. “I need to talk to Shiro.”

 

Shiro stares up at him in shock when he shows him the frame. “What do you mean, ‘What is this?’ This is-”

 

“No, I mean this.” Keith pulls  picture out of his hiding spot and shows it to him. “...Why do you have a picture of Lance here?”

 

“Oh…” Shiro takes the picture from his hands like it’s something delicate. “This is something I got from him when I was 17. He said he’d come back for it when he reached freedom. I guess he forgot about it?”

 

He hold it up to the light, leaning back in his chair. Then, his breath stutters and he falls off his chair. “Keith, look at this!”

 

Keith takes the picture from his hands, confused, and puts it up to the light. 

 

“Holy shit…”

 

_ You’ll find freedom in the stars, if you reach for them. _

 

-

 

The battle is over. The Galra Empire has fallen, and they can finally,  _ finally  _ go home. Allura deals with the governments, and the paladins deal with the press. Lance hangs out in the back, away from the cameras and mics he’s too familiar with, but there’s a scream of his name and someone rushes onto the stage, tackling him to the ground with a hug. 

 

“Bella?” Lance whispers, and the girl buries her face into his neck and sobs. 

 

“You’re free, Lance.” She chokes out. “You found your freedom.”

 

His eyes widen, and he stares up at the sky for a moment. He tightens his grip around her waist. “You’re right.”

 

“I’m happy for you, Lance. I’m sure Ange would be too.”

  
“ _Thank you_.”

**Author's Note:**

> After this he drags the team to the beach and goes to the pizza shack and shows coran rain and it's great and everyone's happy
> 
> I love my beautiful precious sunshine child


End file.
